In vase-painting of mainland Greece, floral and foliate ornament is always contained and precise. This jug and 74.51.509 are noteworthy for the almost tropical lushness that envelops the body of the vase and the four figures on it. An elaborate central lotus stalk is flanked by two birds. Behind them, a winged stag grazes on the left, a winged doe turns as she walks away on the right. The stylistic contrast to the hard-edged depictions of birds and fish is noteworthy. It is not clear whether the reason is purely artistic or in some way iconographic.
